In an opinion piece written by Dexter Filkins of the NY Times, many people speculate on how Afghanistan has been affected by the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This article says many people were too optimistic about the situation in Afghanistan with the overthrowing of the Taliban. The U.S. pulled many of its troops in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan and sent them to Iraq, leaving many Afghan citizens without hope or security. One aid worker in Kabul was quoted saying “This is the tragedy. This is for the history books — the $70 billion that would have given you enough police and army to stabilize this place all went to Iraq.” The war in Iraq is already extremely unpopular both in the U.S. and abroad, so people are really referring to the removal of help in Afghanistan as a tragedy.
I had never thought of the situation in this way before. When you speculate on the Iraq war, many people only see the U.S. spending money, and Iraq in a state or disarray. One rarely thinks about how other countries are going to be hurt because we are spending our efforts in Iraq instead of helping other countries in need. Recently, though, the U.S. has been watching Afghanistan more closely. People are seeing the country as more of a threat than they have in the past few years because we have been so centered around Iraq.
Many U.S. lawmakers have announced that a new, clear strategy for Afghanistan. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stressed that the U.S. is looking for the cooperation of other NATO members in dealing with Afghanistan. President Obama recently ordered a 17,000 troop increase aimed at eliminating the Taliban and making sure Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorists. Pelosi’s address also called upon certain countries, including India, China, Iran, and Russia, to help the U.S. is returning stability to Afghanistan. This article also stated that the U.S. is about 7.5 years late in making a clear plan for Afghanistan, so we must act quickly and with allies.
I agree with the announcement to make a clear and concise plan for dealing with Afghanistan. It seems we have overlooked the country especially after 9/11 because we were so concerned with Iraq. I also think we should not move ahead without the help of other NATO members. Some people say we went into Iraq without enough allies and people who really believed in our cause. This may be true, and I think we need to make sure we have a sufficient amount of allies along our side and agreeing with our plan before we do much more in Afghanistan. I think it is necessary we do something to help restore the country to stability and make sure terrorists are not planning and training in Afghanistan.
John McCain said Wednesday that the U.S. is officially losing the war in Afghanistan. He said we do not have enough troops in the country, and that it is becoming an al Qaeda safe haven, as we have tried to prevent it from being. McCain also said we need to spend more money on better headquarters in Afghanistan, and send thousands of more troops to help the situation. McCain also said that most likely things will get worse before they get better. He noted that instead of the original increase of the Afghani army to between 68,000 and 134,000 troops, it should be increased to between 160,000 and 200,000 troops. This is a much larger number, but many people think the more troops the better to create stability, and anything less than 160,000 would be ineffective.
Another part of the article mentioned how Afghanistan not only needs military support, but civilian support as well. This would include boosting the economy so that drug trade is not as much of a problem. I think this is extremely important; it is not just the military that will turn Afghanistan around; it is the normal civilians as well. Afghanistan provides about two thirds of the world’s heroine and opium. This is a huge percentage, and is not often talked about in the news. I think McCain is right in that we need to be focusing on Afghanistan more, and even though Americans do not want war and would hate to see more troops go overseas, it is necessary to at least do something to help the instability and drug trade there.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Blog Post 2
The Iraqi government is now interrogating 4 men who were released from Guantanamo Bay about a month ago and returned home to Iraq. They were released while Bush was still in office, but are still being processed by the Iraqi government. The government is currently reviewing their files to see if any crimes were committed, but if the men are found not guilty, they will be released. President Obama has ordered that Guantanamo Bay be shut down within a year, but it takes an extremely long time for the prisoners to actually be returned and investigated in their own country.
One major problem with shutting down Guantanamo Bay very quickly is that extremely dangerous prisoners are being held there, and if they are returned into the hands of corrupt governments, they may be let loose to continue their terrorism. In this case, we are not sure if the 4 Iraqi men will be released or not. This case actually tests the new Iraqi government- the world will be watching how they handle the men and if the investigation was fair and complete. I think that even though it is important that Guantanamo Bay is closing, we need to be extremely careful in releasing the prisoners. They are still very dangerous, and even though they should be returned to their countries, it will be a long process in making sure they achieve justice.
UBS, the largest bank in Switzerland, is planning on releasing names of U.S. clients who the government believes to be using off-shore accounts to help evade taxes. Recently,
UBS is now closing the accounts of their American clients. This is a huge loss for them, since they benefitted $200 million per year in revenue. The U.S. has accused UBS of helping Americans hide their money and evade taxes, while UBS says some of its private bankers did such a thing; not the company and its employees. This investigation affects thousands of people, especially those who work at UBS. It is also causing tension between the Swiss and Americans. While this is not a huge issue, it is likely that this investigation will go on for a long time, and with the economy already hurting, many Americans will probably lose a lot of money.
Last week, a Dutch member of Parliament was not allowed into Britain because of his anti-Muslim remarks. Geert Wilders was not allowed through customs when his plane landed in Britain, and was sent on the next flight back to the Netherlands. Mr. Wilder was going to attend a showing of his movie “Fitna”, which
Mr. Wilder has been known for his anti-Muslim and racist remarks against Middle Eastern people. He belongs to the Freedom Party, which holds 9 seats in the 150-member lower house of dutch parliament. Mr. Wilder insists that he should be let into Britain because of democracy and free speech, while many British officials see him as a social threat to their country. It is surprising to think Mr. Wilder holds a government office and I think the British have acted in a respectable way. At the same time, the actions of the British government may be speculated upon. Are they taking away Mr. Wilder’s free speech? I can understand why people would debate this, but I think the government is showing their respect towards Muslim citizens in Britain by not letting such a radical as Mr. Wilder into the country.
One major problem with shutting down Guantanamo Bay very quickly is that extremely dangerous prisoners are being held there, and if they are returned into the hands of corrupt governments, they may be let loose to continue their terrorism. In this case, we are not sure if the 4 Iraqi men will be released or not. This case actually tests the new Iraqi government- the world will be watching how they handle the men and if the investigation was fair and complete. I think that even though it is important that Guantanamo Bay is closing, we need to be extremely careful in releasing the prisoners. They are still very dangerous, and even though they should be returned to their countries, it will be a long process in making sure they achieve justice.
UBS, the largest bank in Switzerland, is planning on releasing names of U.S. clients who the government believes to be using off-shore accounts to help evade taxes. Recently,
“The bank admitted conspiring to defraud the InternalThe bank is not giving names to the U.S. government of its American clients. Not only does this hurt many Americans who have invested in Swiss Banks, but it lessens the reputation these banks will have among its clients; the bank will no longer be as reliable or trustworthy. The federal investigation of UBS is looking into 19,000 clients, but most likely not all their names will be released.
Revenue Service and agreed to pay $780 million to settle a sweeping federal
investigation into its activities.”
UBS is now closing the accounts of their American clients. This is a huge loss for them, since they benefitted $200 million per year in revenue. The U.S. has accused UBS of helping Americans hide their money and evade taxes, while UBS says some of its private bankers did such a thing; not the company and its employees. This investigation affects thousands of people, especially those who work at UBS. It is also causing tension between the Swiss and Americans. While this is not a huge issue, it is likely that this investigation will go on for a long time, and with the economy already hurting, many Americans will probably lose a lot of money.
Last week, a Dutch member of Parliament was not allowed into Britain because of his anti-Muslim remarks. Geert Wilders was not allowed through customs when his plane landed in Britain, and was sent on the next flight back to the Netherlands. Mr. Wilder was going to attend a showing of his movie “Fitna”, which
“juxtaposes images of the Koran with reports of the 9/11 attacks as well asThis is extremely controversial because Mr. Wilder sees his removal as an act against free speech. British officials see him as a publicity seeker instead of an upstanding person.
gruesome images of the Madrid bombings in 2004, the London transit attacks in
2005 and other atrocities. It also suggests that parts of the Koran have
contributed to provoking violence by Muslim extremists.”
Mr. Wilder has been known for his anti-Muslim and racist remarks against Middle Eastern people. He belongs to the Freedom Party, which holds 9 seats in the 150-member lower house of dutch parliament. Mr. Wilder insists that he should be let into Britain because of democracy and free speech, while many British officials see him as a social threat to their country. It is surprising to think Mr. Wilder holds a government office and I think the British have acted in a respectable way. At the same time, the actions of the British government may be speculated upon. Are they taking away Mr. Wilder’s free speech? I can understand why people would debate this, but I think the government is showing their respect towards Muslim citizens in Britain by not letting such a radical as Mr. Wilder into the country.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Blog Post 1
Iran has welcomed Obama’s desire to have face to face talks. The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said that he would welcome discussions with the United States in a “fair atmosphere with a mutual respect”. The two countries have no had diplomatic relations since 1979. Over the years, there has been a lot of mistrust built up, and hatred stirred towards the U.S. in Iran. Obama has a real challenge ahead of him; how do you deal with a country that for so long you have no gotten along with? Ahmadinejad has criticized the Bush administration a lot, and it is no secret he hates Israel as well. Obama’s foreign policy will need to be one of understanding and intent to compromise. Iran is definitely a main concern of America right now, so it is important that the Obama administration learns how to talk to Ahmadinejad to keep the tension from getting worse.
Experts say that Climate Change will become an increasingly popular topic in talks between China and the U.S. Other topics that have come up between the two countries are trade, human rights, and Taiwan, but the environment, some experts think, will become extremely important. Since the U.S. and China are the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, it is only right that these countries try to work on sustainable living. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is expected to visit China as soon as this month, and she will most likely stress taking action on global warming and other environmental issues. Many people are scared though that the two countries will be too busy trying to revive their economies to make a meaningful change on the environment. Two reports have been released suggesting ways the U.S. and China can work together to curb emissions of carbon dioxide.
I think it is essential for these two major world powers to pay attention to climate change and work to help the environment. In recent years there has been a growing concern about the environment, and a new need for sustainable living. As a major player in world politics, the U.S. needs to be a role model instead of cause of the problem. This is the same with China; since china is a huge part of the cause of global warming, it should work together with the U.S. to come up with solutions. I do agree with some experts though who say these countries need to focus on their economy right now and probably won’t pay much attention to the environment in the close future. I think this is accurate; the economy is what is on most citizens’ minds right now, not global warming. Hopefully Secretary of State Clinton will make an impact with her visit to China, but this issue is something to watch over time.
Dubai has become a target of the falling economy, especially hurting foreign workers who came there in confidence of prosperity. At first, Dubai was not extremely affected by the recession that most of the world felt last fall. Now, though, many people have fled the city because they cannot pay their mortgages or have lost their jobs. In particular, foreigners who invested in real estate in the city are having a tough time keeping their jobs. Many people have even abandoned their cars at the airports with apology notes because they have lost their jobs and had no way to pay their taxes and mortgages. Foreign workers actually make up 90% of Dubai’s population. It is incredible how many people have been forced out of their homes, and it is estimated 3,000 of them have fled the city. When most people think of Dubai, they have a positive image of a city full of tourism and valuable real estate. Now, though, Dubai is struggling along with most of the world in this tough economic time.
Experts say that Climate Change will become an increasingly popular topic in talks between China and the U.S. Other topics that have come up between the two countries are trade, human rights, and Taiwan, but the environment, some experts think, will become extremely important. Since the U.S. and China are the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, it is only right that these countries try to work on sustainable living. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is expected to visit China as soon as this month, and she will most likely stress taking action on global warming and other environmental issues. Many people are scared though that the two countries will be too busy trying to revive their economies to make a meaningful change on the environment. Two reports have been released suggesting ways the U.S. and China can work together to curb emissions of carbon dioxide.
I think it is essential for these two major world powers to pay attention to climate change and work to help the environment. In recent years there has been a growing concern about the environment, and a new need for sustainable living. As a major player in world politics, the U.S. needs to be a role model instead of cause of the problem. This is the same with China; since china is a huge part of the cause of global warming, it should work together with the U.S. to come up with solutions. I do agree with some experts though who say these countries need to focus on their economy right now and probably won’t pay much attention to the environment in the close future. I think this is accurate; the economy is what is on most citizens’ minds right now, not global warming. Hopefully Secretary of State Clinton will make an impact with her visit to China, but this issue is something to watch over time.
Dubai has become a target of the falling economy, especially hurting foreign workers who came there in confidence of prosperity. At first, Dubai was not extremely affected by the recession that most of the world felt last fall. Now, though, many people have fled the city because they cannot pay their mortgages or have lost their jobs. In particular, foreigners who invested in real estate in the city are having a tough time keeping their jobs. Many people have even abandoned their cars at the airports with apology notes because they have lost their jobs and had no way to pay their taxes and mortgages. Foreign workers actually make up 90% of Dubai’s population. It is incredible how many people have been forced out of their homes, and it is estimated 3,000 of them have fled the city. When most people think of Dubai, they have a positive image of a city full of tourism and valuable real estate. Now, though, Dubai is struggling along with most of the world in this tough economic time.
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